Photo Finish

Party Time

     Four in the morning's a preposterous time to wake up. Unfortunately, I was the one proposter-ing at that hour. I had spent the entire day before planning and calling prestigious places for Emilia's bachelorette party. It wasn't easy, but I managed to plan an entire day for her and some friends to have fun.
     "What are you doing up?"
     I looked back from my computer to Dae, who had just roused from his slumber. His eyes were barely open, shielding him from the device's light. I shut the laptop and sat on the bed next to him. I stroked his soft hair as he hugged my waist, his head on my lap.
     "Just finishing up. You must've slept well, your hair's all messy," I giggled.
     "Yeah." He looked up at me with a cute grin. "I dreamt of you."
     "Really? Was it good?"
     He gave a quick nod and a soft, confirmative noise. I leaned over and kissed the top of his head.
     "What was it about?"
     "It was Christmas Eve and I bought you a really pretty present, took you out on a nice date, and we kissed under the mistletoe."
     "That sounds really nice."
     "It was. Now come back to bed, it's too early."
     "Okay," I said, shimmying into the twin sized bed next to him.
     We didn't mind being that close anymore. The closer we were together, the more soundly we slept. The more soundly we slept, the happier we were in the morning finding out that our meeting was not a dream after all and that all the times we spent and will spend with each other were real and would happen.
     BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!
     I shot upright, my mind barely awake. I stopped the alarm clock's annoying sound and stretched up. Dae stirred next to me.
     "What time is it?" He groaned.
     "Time for me to get up. The bachelor party for Damon starts this afternoon, so sleep in." I leaned over and kissed the man's cheek.
     He hummed happily and smiled. Stroking his hair once more, I rose from the bed and walked out of my room. I took a coffee mug from the cabinet and filled it with creamer and coffee from the pre-made pot. Sitting on the sofa, I checked my phone. The time was six o'clock, exactly two hours before our day would start.
     Bring~
     Hey, Ladybug, it's Damon. Emilia's in the shower getting ready and told me to text you. — Em
     Okay. I'm about to do the same. Tell Em to meet me at By The Bean in two hours.
     Will do. Have fun! — Em
     I sighed, took a big gulp of hot brew, and made my way to the bathroom.
     "Shower time~ Shower time~" I sang to myself as I started the water.
     The bathroom door opened behind me and Dae peeked in. He still looked half asleep. He rubbed his eye, while the other hand clutched his pillow to his bare chest. I opened the door the rest of the way, shocking him.
     "Why are you up? I thought you were sleeping in," I asked.
     "I missed you. Are you getting in the shower? I'll wait for you out here."
     "Okay. Just don't cook anything yet, you aren't fully awake."
     I shut the door and showered as fast as I could. I reached for my towel and wrapped myself up, then wrapped my head in a separate hand towel. I exited the bathroom.
     Dae was standing at the toaster, his back to me. I slowly creeped over to him. I took in the sweet aroma of burnt pastries.
     "What're you making?" I asked, causing him to jump. "Sorry."
     "Pop-tarts. You want one?" He asked, popping the toaster.
     I wrapped my arms around the man's waist and sighed.
     "What's wrong?"
     "Nothing. Just enjoying the morning," I replied dreamily.
     "Does an enjoyable morning reject the use of clothing?" He asked devilishly.
     "Right! Sorry," I stated, squirming away. "I'll be in my bedroom if you need me."
     "I can come in anytime?"
     "Knock first!" I called, slamming the door shut.
     I quickly pulled out a white, one shoulder, knit sweater that was way too big and black jeans. I shook out my hair, letting it fall naturally wherever it pleased. I added some gold hoops as a final touch and left the room. Dae was sitting on the couch with the pop-tarts he made, saving one for me. I sat on the couch next to him and took a piece of the pastry. He didn't move.
     "What episode are you on?" I asked.
     He didn't answer. I looked over at him, my heart fluttering. I smiled, stroking his sleeping face. I rested my head on his shoulder a moment. I took in the sound of his gentle, soft breathing.
     "I have to go now. Aren't you going to walk me to the door?"
     I slowly sat upright, my eyes fixed on Dae's lidded eyes. I felt a strong urge to stay, or to at least tell him I was leaving, but I didn't want to wake him. I leaned towards him, eyeing his lips. I shook my head and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.
     'Laurraine, you silly girl.'
     My mother's words played in my head.
     'Love is the best thing in the world.'
     I finally knew what my mom had meant. Love was hard and painful, but it ultimately had the potential to be sweet and warm. I usually got the short end of the stick, but as I looked at the man before me I felt different. I felt that for once it would go right, that I might get to be happy with someone.